Sally's successful job interview!

I am so pleased and excited because I have got a permanent teaching post for September!

There were three other candidates, all doing their PGCE but none of them was from my university. It was a bit strange sitting in the staff room with the competition especially when they realised that this was “my” school.

We drew numbers out of a hat for the order in which we did the observed lesson. I drew number 4 which meant I was last to perform but it also meant that I was teaching a group of year 12 students whom I know. I thought the lesson went well, I managed to use all the different teaching and learning techniques that my mentor (and Mum and Dad!) had taught me and the feedback I was given at the end confirmed my optimism.

There were 4 people on the interview panel – the Head Teacher, the Head of Science, the Vice-Chair of Governors (the man from the quiz) and the long-term link governor for science who I hadn’t met before but who had known my Mum. I used every scrap of interview technique knowledge that Mum and Dad had ever shared with me and I left the interview room knowing that I hadn’t made a fool of myself. I think I had a pre-prepared answer for all of the questions including the old favourite, “What are the characteristics of an outstanding lesson?”

The other candidates had been given the option of going home and being phoned with the result but they had all decided to stay. I don’t think they were too shocked when after about 20 minutes I was called out of the staff room to be offered the job. Naturally I said “yes please” – of course the job offer depends upon me passing the PGCE but the head teacher strongly implied that wasn’t going to be a problem!

 

The other applicants had all left by the time I had finished the paperwork so I never got to see them again. I expect they were all muttering about the internal candidate getting the job.

I think Mum and Dad, wherever they are, would be pleased with my days work!

Job interviews, athletics and bereavement support!

I think it is about time I updated readers on all my news! 

 

I have got three job interviews coming up (my boyfriend S is in the lead with 4) for jobs for September. In order that they are taking place: #1 is a 1 year contract at an OFSTED good school that is towards my limit for the distance I would like to commute every day: #2 is a permanent contact at the school where I am doing my PGCE placement: #3 is also a permanent contact at an OFSTED outstanding school that isn’t too many miles away, but difficult, busy miles if you know what I mean.  

 

I am still doing my modelling. I get booked about every three weeks – always with the other Sally – which suits me quite well. Our very mild and tasteful lesbian poses seem to be what the customer wants so that is what we provide. It is a very good job that I know her so well isn’t it! Now we are well established with the organisers we qualify for a slightly higher rate of pay which is good. 

 

I’m busy with athletics as well. I’m mainly doing cross-country or hill climb events rather than track races. The county runners for 5000 and 10000 metres have times worse than mine but they still get selected (and come nearly last in regional events) so my club has made a formal complaint. It is of course just co-incidence that one of the selectors is a leading figure in the club where these two are based!

 

Granddad was supposed to be going to a category D prison but that still hasn’t happened. As I don’t speak to him I don’t know the whole story and I’m not that bothered which sound rather heartless doesn’t it? Nan despite everything she said is now visiting him so my Aunt has been able to stop going. She seemed pleased about that when she told me. Nan’s dementia is suddenly and mysteriously better – now the threat of prison has gone she doesn’t need to pretend any more. 

 

S is fine. His school placement seems to going better and better so it is a pity that there isn’t a vacancy there as he would be a strong candidate. 

 

Finally there has been a change of leadership at the Bereavement Support Group I attend. The new boss lady runs it more for our benefit rather than her own ego which is a nice change. It is sad how many students have to face up to parent or sibling death during their 3 or 4 year courses.

On a brief break from the PGCE

The last week before the Easter break wasn't a typical "teaching block" week. I only needed to be in school for three days with Thursday and Friday supposed to be for working on my PGCE portfolio of evidence. This was a rather boring way of spending two days – in fact very boring. 

The two weeks around Easter are in red on the colour coded timetable all the students were given. Red means holiday! The only problem is that the third course assessment has to be finished by April 10^th so most of my so-called holiday will be used up working on that. I now have exactly 42 teaching days in school to survive before the end of the course. 

Once Easter is out of the way I will have to start applying for teaching jobs. One science teacher at this school is retiring in July and another is moving on to a promoted post elsewhere so I am hoping that it might create a vacancy for little old me. Nobody seems to be leaving at S’s school so he will almost certainly have to look elsewhere. Not surprisingly the whole job process is going to be mega stressful

The builder from the end of the garden is still being very strange. He thinks that because he wants to do something that everybody else in the area needs to bow down in front of him and to do exactly what he wants. Well I’m not going to unless he makes it very much worth my while financially, and probably not even then. He offered me £300,000 for my house which is £50,000 less than a house just down the road was sold for in January 2015. He must think I’m stupid. He is just the sort of person Mum and Dad would have disliked (bossy and aggressive) and I dislike him as well.

There isn’t any athletics or modelling this weekend so the four of us are going to go out for a couple of day trips. S has sorted out the details but hasn’t told me anything despite me torturing him the other day!

 

My PGCE placement - an update

Last weekend I played rugger for the university. I’m not good enough to play for them on a regular basis but the usual winger was injured so I was asked to take her place. We won by one converted try to nil (7-0 in points) so I was pleased about that. We scored in the first few minutes but after that the other team, who seemed enormous, had almost all the possession. Somehow we managed to stop them scoring and I think that by the end of the game they were really frustrated because, if I’m honest, they were by far the better team. 

I am very busy in my PGCE school placement. It isn’t enough to be good, or even an excellent teacher. The bosses expect you to be that. If you want to get promotion you have to do other things apart from classroom teaching. As a PGCE student I was advised to be quite high profile with lunchtime and after school activities. I do some work with the PE department, usually after school and some lunch times I help with the gifted and talented pupils. All this means that I feel busy all the time and once I get home I don’t stop being busy because that is the only time I have to do my lesson preparation. My boy friend is getting on much better now, he has learned to pace himself more and is happier and more confident than he was earlier in the course. 

The man who lives in the house that backs on to my house is a builder and a property developer. He is being rather strange with me at the moment. He has some grand scheme where he would buy, then demolish, four houses including mine. He would then have enough land to build 6 or 7 houses which he thinks would make him lots of money. He was very annoyed when I said I wasn’t interested in selling my house to him. I think he thought I was some stupid youngster who could be bullied into selling him my house far too cheaply!  I’m no expert but some of the things he said were lies and other bits were just stupid rubbish so I wasn’t sad when he left. 

My shoulder is now better but I got a kick during the game that has left a massive bruise on my thigh. It is purple at the moment and doesn’t look very ladylike!